Electric circuit-breaker with compressed gas blow-out



AS BLOW-OUT Jan. 23, 1934. A. CLERC ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH GOIPRESSED G Filed Feb. 9. 1952 .FleQ/dnl' Anc/f Clerc Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES ELECTRIC @IRCUIT-BREKER COMPRESSED GAS BLW-OUT Andr Clerc, Villeurbanne, France Application February 9, 1932, Serial No., wlbiiti, and in Germany February 9, 1931 2 Claims.

My copending application No. 503,835 filed Dec. 20th, 1930 relates to an electric `circuitbreaker provided with a compressed gas arc blowing out device whose particularity resides in the use of at least one pair of contacts shunted by a resistance.

According to another copending application No. 549,001 led July 6th, 1931 the extinction of the arc is realized by blowing the said arc towards one or several main electrodes each of which is connected to one extremity of a resistance, the other extremity being connected to an auxiliary electrode.

According to the present invention the operation of this circuit-breaker is improved. The circuit-breaker in accordance with this invention is characterized in this that the arc blown perpendiczlarly to the displacement of the movable contact meets electrodes connected to the resistance to be inserted and disposed one behind the other, the length of the electrodes penetrating into the chimney, their spacing and the velocity of blowing being so chosen that the resistance elements will shunt a certain length of that portion of the arc which is approximately parallel to the direction of the blowing.

The annexed drawing shows diagrammatically two forms of embodiment of the object of the invention.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a circuit breaker according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a similar view with modied arrangement of the electrodes, and

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing l shows the divergent chimney in which takes place the blowing of the arc. 2 indicates the fixed contact and 3 the movable contact actuated by any suitable means indicated diagrammatically, in the present instance, by numeral 9. The direction of the blowing is indicated by the arrows a. Behind the contacts 2 and 3 (considered in the direction of the blowing) are disposed two series of electrodes 4, 4', 4 on the one side and 5, 5', 5" on the other side, these said electrodes traversing the wall of the chimney and being coupled together by the resistances 6, 6', 6".

On the other hand, the electrode 4 is connected i directly to the contact 2 and the electrode 5 to BSSE In the described device, the arc develops itsellI along the dot and dash lines b. These lines clearly show that any two pairs oi electrodes 4-5 can only be reached successively by the arc, and consequently the resistance elements 6, 6 are inserted successively into the circuit. However, by reason of the high speed of development of the arc under the influence of the now of air, the electrodes are thrown into circuit practically simultaneously, and as a consequence the whole of theresistances is inserted into the circuit by the time the current passes through zero for the first time.

-At this instant the arc is only maintained between the electrodes 4 and 5n and subsists for half a period at a maximum.

Instead of utilizing two series of electrodes as indicated on the drawing, one could utilize a greater number.

On the other hand, the different series of electrodes utilized can be disposed along diametrically opposed generatrices (intersection line between the conical chimney and a plane on the axis of the cone), of the chimney as shown on the drawing, or along several large pitch spirals.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

l. In a circuit breaker, two relatively movable contacts between which an arc is adapted to be struck, means to blow onto said arc a blast of compressed gases perpendicularly to the movable contact displacement, a chimney adapted to surround the arc lengthened by the blast, and electrodes in said chimney having resistances connected'therebetween and to one of the contacts, said electrodes being placed behind the contacts and one after the other, when seen in the direction of blowing, whereby the length of electrodes projecting inside the chimney, their spacing, and the blowing speed are adapted to permit intermediary points of the arc to be blown onto the electrodes and to shunt the resistances by portions of the arc parallel to the blowing direction.

2. In a circuit breaker, two relatively movable contacts between which an arc is adapted to be struck, means tov blow onto said arc a blast of compressed gases perpendicularly to the movable contact displacement, a chimney adapted to surround the arc lengthened by the blast, electrodes disposed in said chimney and projecting within the same, and resistances connected to 'the electrodes and one of the contacts, said electrodes being placed behind the' contacts and disposed along a high-pitched spiral.

, ANDR CLERC. 

